1080

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SAFE: New Zealand Animal Rights. What is 1080?

1080 is the brand name given to the synthetic version of sodium fluoroacetate - a toxic, odourless, white powder compound, which naturally occurs in plants, acting as a powerful defence. However the synthetic version, 1080, is far more potent and kills. New Zealand is the largest buyer of 1080 in the world, using over 80 per cent of the chemical produced. 1080 is distributed in laced bait via ground and aerial application by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and the Animal Health Board (AHB).

It is mainly used to kill possums, however other ‘pests', including feral cats, rabbits, rats and stoats, are also targeted. 1080 is banned in several countries, including Brazil, Belize, Cuba, Laos, Slovenia and Thailand, as well as in some states of the United States where aerial distribution and its use on all mammals but coyotes is prohibited. Cruel effects of 1080 Death from 1080 is cruel and protracted. A witness to a possum poisoning commented:
Important Facts about 1080 that every Kiwi should know. What is 1080 and how does it work?

1080 is a metabolic poison that is extremely toxic to all air-breathing organisms. It blocks the body’s muscle and organs ability to absorb energy from its food, and results in a slow and inhumane death, typically 8 -24 hours for birds, 2-4 days for large mammals. There is no known antidote for this deadly poison. Poisoning from 1080 occurs through eating the dosed baits (cereal pellets or poison-laced carrots) or from the flesh of poisoned animals. Carcasses remain poisonous until they are completely decomposed, which makes 1080 particularly lethal to dogs. The scale of the use of 1080 and its implications During aerial poisoning operations, massive quantities (approximately 4000-100,000 kg of bait per drop) of poison-laced, palatable foodstuffs are introduced by helicopter or plane into New Zealand’s forest ecosystems and potentially into streams.

New Zealand is now the world’s largest consumer of 1080. The imbalanced presentation of the science. Pest control & some new 1080 videos « Conservation blog. Protecting our native forests. New Zealand has sometimes been described as a ‘land without teeth’.

Our native wildlife evolved to live in a land with very few land mammals (only two species of bat), so they were wholly unprepared for the onslaught of furry, four legged creatures that landed on our shores. This year is a masting year which means our trees produce huge volumes of seeds. These kind of food pulses lead to vastly increased populations of pest species – with catastrophic effects on our wildlife.

To counter the ensuing predator plague, DOC has recently decided to increase its use of aerial 1080 – we applaud this decision. More Eighty million years of isolation, meant our native animals took an evolutionary path that is utterly distinct. Birds like takahe and kakapo grew fat and lost the ability to fly. The introduction of mammalian pests and predators since people arrived in New Zealand has been the single most devastating problem for our native wildlife. Rata and pohutakawa Powelliphanta Snails Kaka Native Bats.

Māori & 1080: Separating myth from fact. Methods of pest control: Animal pests. A range of pest control methods are used by DOC, depending on the scale and urgency of the pest problem, the type of pest, and the accessibility of the area being treated.

Ground control Traps and bait stations are the main types of ground control used. Their design and toxins target specific pests, and they are designed not to attract or harm other species. It is effective but labour intensive. DOC maintains over 180,000 traps, and spends more than $5 million each year on stoat and rat trapping. Where possible, DOC works with local communities and councils on joint pest control projects. DOC uses these humane, powerful and effective kill traps: the DOC 150 and 200 for stoats, rats and hedgehogsthe DOC 200 for stoats, rats and hedgehogsthe DOC 250 for ferrets, stoats, rats and hedgehog. Predator Traps has more information about these humane kill traps. Aerial control The operations are carefully planned and are guided by GPS technology.